The Progression of College Student Romantic Relationship Development: Stability and Change Over 10 Years

Romantic relationships play an important role in mental and physical health. The initiation and progression of these relationships may be particularly relevant to college students, as they experience a period of personal and social growth while presumably away from parental supervision for the first time. However, some of the more prominent models of relationship initiation and progression have not been updated to reflect recent social changes, including technological advances and more general societal trends. In the current research, we use a qualitative approach to examine how college students describe the initiation and progression of romantic relationships. Additionally, we present data from two studies collected a decade apart to examine changes in perceived relationship progression over time. Results revealed four stages of relationship progression (i.e., flirtationship, relationship potential, in a relationship, and commitment or bust) that were consistent across decades, with some minor differences. The contributions of these findings to current theoretical and empirical knowledge on relationship development are discussed, and promising directions for future inquiry are identified.